Apparatus for producing containers with complex walls

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing in moulds plastic containers having one part at least of their lateral walls a reinforcing sheet. This apparatus is particular in that associated with each female mould is a device for forming a loop in the reinforcing sheet, and a member for placing said loop in the corresponding mould, and that said mould is disposed on a carrier so as to be capable of coming into alignment with the loop forming device, and that means are provided to control, stepwise and sequentially, the formation of a loop in the reinforcing sheet, the alignment of the mould and the forming device, the introduction of the loop into the mould, the re-setting of the mould into the shaping position, and the shaping of a container with complex walls.

United States Patent 1191 Nasica 1451 Jan. 9, 1973 s41 APPARATUS FORPRODUCING 3,318,985 5/1967 Turner et al ..264/94 x CONTAINERS WITHCOMPLEX 2,881,475 4/1959 Wilckens IS/DIG. 6 WALLS 3,453,162 7/1969Turner ..18/19 F x 2,162,230 6/1939 Salfisberg .156/510 X [75] Inventor:Jean R. Naslca, Parls, France 2,761,803 9/1956 Breitenback .264/152 X 3392 223 7/1968 Thiel ..264/152 [73] Ass1gnee: lntercan S.A., c/oFiduclaire Wanner Fribourg, itze d 3,453,162 7/1969 Turner ..l8l19 F X[22] Filed: July 12, 1971 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Spicer, Jr. [2]] ppNo: 161,872 Att0rney-Saul Jecies Related US. Application Data [57]ABSTRACT 3 Continuation f Set. No 18,123 March 10, 1970 This inventionrelates to an apparatus for producing in abandoned moulds plast1ccontainers havlng one part at least of their lateral walls a reinforcingsheet.

[52] U.S.Cl. ..425/109, 425/122 425/308 This a pparatus 1s particular inthat associated with 425/324 156/510 83/408 3 6 each female mould is adevice for forming a loop in the reinforcing sheet, and a member forplacing said 2: 3 23 fi g h 2 3/18 loop in the corresponding mould, andthat said mould 1 le 0 fig g 264 b 6: is disposed on a carrier so as tobe capable of coming 255 60 5 6 1 2 into alignment with the loop formingdevice, and that means are provided to control, stepwise andsequentially, the formation of a loop in the reinforcing sheet, thealignment of the mould and the forming device, [56] References Clted theintroduction of the loop into the mould, the re- UNITED STATES PATENTSsetting of the mould into the shaping position, and the 2 805 787 9/1957Sh 264/94 X shaping of a container with complex walls.

erman 3,113,831 12/1963 28 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures Coale ..264/94 XPATENTEDJAN 9 ma SHEU 1 BF 7 Inventor Jean Nasica i Atorney PATENTEBJAH9 I923 SHEET 2 OF 7 Inventor Jean R. Nasica PATENTEDJM ems 3.709543-SHEET 3 0r 7 .Inventor Jeaa R. Nasica Fi Attorney PATENTED JAN 9 i975SHEET 8 BF 7 Inventor Jean R. Nasica By HITS Attorney PAIENTEDJAN 9197aSHEET 7 OF 7 Fig. [0

Inventor Jean R. Nasica APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONTAINERS WITI-ICOMPLEX WALLS This is a streamline continuation application of Ser. No.18, l 23, now abandoned.

The present invention concerns an apparatus for producing containerswith complex walls made from a thermoplastic sheet, in particular forwrapping food stuffs and/or pharmaceutical products. The term containerswith complex walls is used to denote containers of which at least a partof the lateral wall is covered with a decorated or undecoratedreinforcing sheet. These reinforcing sheets are of any nature whatever,for example made of cardboard, thermoplastic material, aluminum, etc,and, on the side which is intended to come into contact with the lateralwall of the container are coated with a heat-sticking material whichadheres intimately to the lateral wall of the thermoplastic container.

The principal of production of containers of this nature with complex orreinforced walls has long been known, and comprises placing thereinforcing sheet in a female mould, placing a previously heatedthermoplastic sheet on the opening of the female mould, pre-forming acontainer blank by means of a punch which deforms said thermoplasticsheet while it penetrates intothe mould, and completing shaping of thecontainer by means of a fluid under pressure applied to the blank on theside of the punch and pushing said blank against the wall of the mould,the blank adhering intimately to the reinforcing sheet previouslydisposed in the mould.

Hitherto, the reinforcing sheet could not be placed in the female mouldsimultaneously in a plurality of juxtaposed moulds as the flat surfaceof a reinforcing sheet interfered with the adjacent sheet and thecorrect positioning thereof in the mould. In addition, if mechanicalmeans were provided for positioning the sheets, their bulk would alsocause mutual interference of the different means. It can easily be seenthat this method of producing complex containers becomes prohibitivewhen large quantities of such containers were to be produced in a shorttime.

The present invention overcomes this disadvantage, and proposesproviding an apparatus for producing containers with complex walls, forwrapping food stuffs and/or pharmaceutical products, which apparatusrequires no manual intervention in the production of such containers,and which enables a high production rate to be attained.

The apparatus for producing containers with complex walls, comprising ona frame, a cylindrical support for a roll of thermoplastic materialsheet, means for transporting said sheet below a heating station, theninto a shaping station comprising on one side of the thermoplastic sheetat least one series of female moulds which are movable perpendicularlyto the plane of the thermoplastic sheet and which extend over the entirewidth of said sheet, and on the other side, a series of pre-shapingpunches of which the number corresponds to the number of moulds, aseries of mould clamps intended to apply said thermoplastic sheetagainst the upper end of the moulds, and a source of pressure fluid forthe definitive shaping of the containers, said apparatus beingcharacterized in that associated with each female mould is a device forforming a loop in the reinforcing sheet, and a member for placing saidloop in the corresponding mould, and that said mould is disposed on acarrier so as to be capable of coming into alignment with the loopforming device, and that means are provided to control, stepwise andsequentially, the formation of a loop in the reinforcing sheet, thealignment of the mould and the forming device, the introduction of theloop into the mould, the re-setting of the mould into the shapingposition, and the shaping of a container with complex walls.

In this way, containers with complex walls can be produceduninterruptedly so that the apparatus can be combined with the filling,sealing, severing, and possibly, over-wrapping stations, in order toform a complete chain of wrappings for food stuff products.

Comprehension of the invention will be facilitated by means of thefollowing description of an embodiment given only by way of example,with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a lateral elevation of the apparatus according to theinvention,

FIG. 2 is a partially broken away, plan view of the apparatus,

FIG. 3 is a lateral elevation showing in greater detail the means forthe stepwise entrainment of the reinforcing sheet,

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the entrainment means in the direction ofthe arrow A shown in FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a section ofa detail taken along the line V V of FIG. 3,

FIG. 6 is a lateral view of a vertical section taken along the lineVI-VI of FIG. 7, and showing in detail the loop forming device alreadyshown diagrammatically in FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 7 is a detail front view of the loop forming device in sectionalong the line VII-VII of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a detail front view of the loop forming device in sectiontaken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 6,

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a pattern for cutting the main reinforcingsheet into individual sheets,

FIG. 10 is a lateral view of a detail of the loop forming device,including the particular arrangement of a return roller,

FIG. 11 is a plan view of another pattern for cutting the mainreinforcing sheet into individual sheets,

FIG. 12 is a plan view of another pattern for cutting the mainreinforcing sheet into individual sheets.

As is particularly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus for producingcontainers with complex walls comprises on its frame 1 a cylindricalsupport 2 for a roll of thermoplastic sheet 3, means (not shown) forguiding and transporting the sheet 3, a heating station 4 for softeningthe material forming the sheet, and a shaping station 5. The shapingstation 5 comprises in per se known manner a series of female moulds 6which are disposed on one side of the thermoplastic sheet 3, for examplebelow the sheet 3, and a series of pre-shaping punches (not shown) ofwhich the number is equal to the number of moulds but which are disposedon the other side of the thermoplastic sheet 3, and also mould clamps(not shown) for firmly applying the edge of a zone of thermoplasticsheet 3 against the upper end of the corresponding mould 6, means formoving the moulds 6 and the punches towards each other in a directionperpendicular to the plane of the thermoplastic sheet 3, and a source ofpressure fluid to apply the blank, which is pre-shaped by the punch,against the internal wall of the mould 6.

Not shown in these figures are the other working stations which formpart of an apparatus for producing containers with complex walls, theseother stations being the container filling station, the sealing station,the severing station in which filled and sealed containers are severed,and, possibly, the over-wrapping station in which a plurality of groupedcontainers are wrapped together.

The present apparatus comprises a device 10 for forming a loop in areinforcing sheet 11 and a member 12 for placing said reinforcing sheet11 in the form ofa loop in the corresponding mould 6 which is speciallyarranged so as to be capable of coming into alignment with the loopforming device 10 without it being necessary to displace or remove thethermoplastic sheet 3 which is engaged in the shaping station.

The loop forming device 10 comprises a certain number of return rollerswhich guide the reinforcing sheet 11 towards a pair of feed-in rollers13, 14 provided on each side of a slot 15 which gives access to a cavity16 of the loop forming device 10.

The loop forming device 10 is arranged in the apparatus at a locationbelow the plane of movement of the thermoplastic sheet 3 and preferablydownstream of the shaping station and the female moulds 6 arearticulated on a horizontal shaft 17 which is rigidly fixed to thecarrier for the moulds 6 which are movable in a vertical direction, thecarrier being provided with a control means 19 such as a jack to pivotthe moulds 6 from their vertical position into a horizontal position inwhich they are in alignment with the corresponding cavities 16 of theloop forming device 10.

It is of advantage to produce the different reinforcing sheets or strips11 from a single, wider sheet or strip, called the main sheet. There istherefore provided on one side of the frame 1, a cylindrical support 21for a roll of main reinforcing sheet20, a mechanism 22 for cutting themain sheet into individual strips 11, and a mechanism for the common,stepwise entrainment of the main reinforcing sheet and the differentreinforcing sheets 11 cut into strip form.

When the reinforcing sheets 11, 20 carry decorative motifs and themotifs must be correctly positioned on the container relative to areference point such as a lateral edge, the apparatus comprises a singlesetting photoelectric cell 23 preferably located opposite a reinforcingsheet 11 which has already been cut,a return roller 24 which isadjustable for position being interposed in the path of movement of eachreinforcing strip 11 towards the corresponding cavities of the loopforming device 10. it is apparent that, taking into account the settingby the photoelectric cell 23 of a motif on one of the reinforcing sheets11, and the different distances between the motif setting point and thevarious cavities 16 of the loop forming device 10, it is sufficient forthe adjustable return roller to be slightly displaced for a portion ofthe reinforcing strip or sheet 11 which is provided with a completemotif, to be introduced into the corresponding cavity 16.

The loop forming device also comprises means for cutting the portion ofreinforcing sheet placed in the cavity 16. The cutting means moreparticularly comprise a fixed blade 25 and a movable blade 26 located oneach side of the slot 15 leading to the cavity 16 of the loop formingdevice 10, the movable blade 26 being rhythmically displaced after eachstepwise advance of the reinforcing sheet 11.

FIGS. 3 to 5 show in greater detail the mechanism 27 for stepwisemovement of the complete reinforcing sheet 20 and the differentindividual reinforcing sheets 11. The entrainment mechanism 27essentially comprises a motor such as a hydraulic jack 28 which isarticulated at its rear end to a frame and at its front end, that is tosay by way of the shaft 28a, to a lever having two arms 29a, 29b whichis capable of pivoting about a horizontal shaft 30. The front end of thearm 29b of the lever comprises a drive roller 31 which is capable ofsliding in the recess of a fork member 32 which is articulated on ahorizontal shaft 33 and which is integral with a toothed wheel 34 aroundwhich passes a drive chain 35.

it should also be noted that between the fork member 32 and the toothedwheel 34 there is provided a clutch-brake assembly or a free-wheel 52,to permit the jack 28 either to be contracted or extended without returnmovement of the drive chain 35. The drive chain 35 passes over tworeturn gears 36, 37, one of the gears acting as a tensioning gear 36.The chain 35 cooperates with a toothed wheel 38 of a drive roller 39 fordriving the reinforcing sheets or strips. The drive roller 39 comprisesat its other end a toothed wheel 40 con nected by a drive chain to atoothed wheel 41 of the mechanism 22 for cutting the main reinforcingsheet 20.

From the toothed wheel 38, the drive chain 35 passes around anothertoothed wheel 42 which is integral with the transmission 43 connected tothe feed-in rollers 13, 14 of the loop forming device 10. The drivechain 35 is closed over the three toothed wheels 34, 38 and 42 while theother chain 44 is closed over the two toothed wheels 40, 41. Thereinforcing strips 11 are entrained by means of a pressure roller 45having an eccentric support shaft 46 and co-operating with the roller39.

The mechanism 22 for cutting the main reinforcing sheet into individualsheets or strips 11 comprises, in a first embodiment, a support roller47 which is integral with the toothed wheel 41 and which is providedwith annular grooves of which a lateral vertical wall forms 1 the bladecooperating member 48 for a cutting blade 49 provided on the externalperiphery of a hollow roller 50 which is supported eccentrically by ashaft 51 and applied against the support roller 47.

Arranged between the cutting mechanism 22 and the roller 39 is a settingphotoelectric cell 23 or a similar device which is located opposite oneof the cut sheets or strips 11 and which is intended to act on a controlmechanism (not shown) in dependence on the setting marks which it readson the reinforcing sheet 11.

The support roller 21 for the main reinforcing sheet or strip 20, thestepwise entrainment mechanism 27 and the cutting mechanism 22 aremounted beside the heating station 4 and the shaping station 5 inparallel to the path of movement of the thermoplastic sheet 3. In thisway, it is easy to control the simultaneity of the advance movement ofthe thermoplastic sheet 3 and the reinforcing sheets 11, 20 and inaddition, the apparatuses provided for the production of containers witha simple wall can easily be converted to apparatuses for the productionof containers with complex walls.

On the other hand, in a preferred embodiment, the

loop forming device is disposed below the path of 5 movement of thethermoplastic sheet 3 or the shaped containers, and close to the moulds6 in their lower position. It is of advantage for the loop formingdevice 10 to be placed downstream of the shaping station 5.

As they leave the rollers 39, 45, the individual reinforcing sheets orstrips 1 l are diverted downwardly and progressively turned through 90on themselves, by means of a number of controllable return rollers 24corresponding to the number of individual sheets or strips 11. It shouldbe noted that the return rollers 24 have their horizontal axes turnedthrough 90 relative to those of the rollers 39, 45. The adjustablereturn rollers 24 are disposed at different levels, in order not tointerfere with the movement of the sheets 11 passing over the otherrollers 24. In addition, the shafts of the rollers 24 are adjustable,for example in height, and for this purpose are housed with their endsin vertical slots 53 formed in support plates 54. This dispositionenables the portions of reinforcing sheet 11 to be correctly positionedin the cavity 16 and in particular provides for correct positioning ofthe decoration or inscription appearing on the reinforcing sheets 11.Thus, the reinforcing sheet 11 will always be found to be correctlypositioned on the finished container relative to a reference point onthe container.

As can be seen in greater detail in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the reinforcingsheet 11 passing from the controllable return roller 24 passes aroundanother return roller 55 mounted on a horizontal support bar 56, beforereaching the loop forming device 10.

The loop forming device 10 comprises a horizontal transversal bar 56mounted on a support plate 58 which is integral with the frame of theapparatus. The transversal bar 57 is provided with a certain number ofcavities 16 which are preferably cylindrical in shape but in which thebase, and consequently, the transverse section, can be circular as wellas square or rectangular, etc., and more generally, are determined by aline which is closed on itself, any angles preferably being rounded offto form a circular arc. It should also be noted that the inside face ofthe cavity 16, at the point at which it is connected laterally to theexterior by way of the slot 15, can form a right angle. The slot leadinginto the cavity 16 is formed, in a preferred embodiment, in the cuttingblade 26 mounted on a support 60 which is movable transversely to theplane in which the reinforcing sheet 11 is fed into the cavity 16. Thefixed blade co-operating member 25 is provided in the correspondingcavity 16 and is merged with the wall located at least partially inalignment with the slot 15. In addition, the movable cutting blade 26forms a part of the inside face of the cavity 16. A pair of feed-inrollers l3, 14 is mounted in front of each slot 15, for example on a bar61 which is integral with the solid portion 26a of the movable blade 26which is fixed on the movable support 60. The pair of feed-in rollers13, 14 is controlled by the stepwise entrainment mechanism 27 and inparticular by the intermediary of the transmission 43 (see FIG. 4) onwhich is fitted a friction system with bevel gear 43a for each pair offeed-in rollers 13,

14. The rear portion which is in the form of a dovetail a, of themovable support 60 is guided in a slide fixed to the frame. Mounted onthe slide 65 is a jack 66 of which the shaft 67 is integral with themovable support 60 through the intermediary of strut 68. It should alsobe noted that the diameter of the feed-in rollers 13, 14 is slightlylarger than that of the roller 39 for moving the reinforcing sheets.However the two rollers 13, 14 which act on the reinforcing sheet aredriven by friction such that each reinforcing sheet is individuallytensioned.

In addition, this friction system permits the manual insertion of eachreinforcing sheet into the rollers 13, 14 and into the cavity, bystarting operation of the assembly. Thus, the reinforcing sheet 11 isconstantly tensioned until introduced into the cavity 16. The cuttingmovement is effected by means of the jack 66 of which the piston carriesout a reciprocating movement of a few millimeters. This embodiment whichis described as a preferred example affords the advantage that even whenthe portion of reinforcing sheet placed in the cavity 16 is cut from thereinforcing sheet 11 in strip form, the free end of the latter alwaysremains engaged in the slot 15, the feed-in rollers 13, 14 preventingthe reinforcing sheet 11 moving rearwardly and becoming disengaged fromthe slot 15.

Once the portion of reinforcing sheet has been cut, it is pushed intothe mould 6 which, for this purpose, is in alignment with thecorresponding cavity 16. It will be noted that the internalcircumference of the mould 6 is at least slightly greater than that ofthe cavity 16 of the loop forming device 10.

The member 12 for positioning the cut and loopshape rolled reinforcingsheet 11 generally comprises a plate 70 of which the section issubstantially identical to the section of the cavity 16, this platebeing fixed to the end of a rod 71 of which the other end is fixed byway ofa strut 72 to the rod 73 of a second control jack 74 mounted onthe cross member 58 of the frame. Obviously, at the location at whichthe rod 71 passes through the movable support 60, the latter has anoblong aperture 76, the length of which takes into account the maximumtravel of the movable support 60.

The above described embodiment comprises a series of moulds disposed ina single line. In another embodiment of the invention, there areprovided two lines of grouped moulds, such that, considered in thedirection of advance movement of the sheet 3, there are always twomoulds disposed one behind the other. It is obvious that a similararrangement must be used in that case for the pre-shaping punches andthe mould clamps in the shaping station. In this case, the loop formingdevice 10 comprises two superposed rows of cavities 16, the cavities ofthe upper row having upwardly open feed slots 15 and the cavities of thelower row having their slots opened downwardly. In this case, thefeed-in rollers 13, 14 are arranged, as regards the upper row ofcavities, above the corresponding slots, while those associated with thelower row of cavities are arranged below the corresponding slots. Itwill be easily understood that the reinforcing sheets or strips intendedto be introduced into the cavities of the upper row each pass by way ofat least two supplementary return rollers before being engaged into thecorresponding pair of feed-in rollers.

It is of advantage to provide for the cutting blades of the upper rowand the lower row of cavities, a common control jack. Similarly, thedifferent members for positioning a cut and rolled portion of thereinforcing sheet are preferably connected by their rods and controlledby a single jack similar to the jack 74.

In order further to improve the positioning of the cut portions ofreinforcing sheet, the lateral wall of the mould 6 is provided atcertain locations with very fine channels which open on the one hand onto the inside lateral face of the mould and on the other hand, into achamber formed in the said wall of the mould and capable of beingconnected to a vacuum pump. Thus, when the portion of reinforcing sheethas been positioned in the mould, the vacuum generated behind thatportion of reinforcing sheet keeps it in place and prevents anydisplacement which could be caused by the blank when it is formed and/orapplied against the inside wall of the mould. By virtue of this step,the cut portion of the reinforcing sheet is rigorously positioned.

The openings into the mould of these suction passages are preferablyprovided at locations on the inside wall of the mould at which that faceaffords changes in direction or more or less accentuated angles. Withthat arrangement, under the effect of the vacuum linked with the suctionchannels, the portion of reinforcing sheet is sucked towards the angularzones of the mould, and pre-shaping of this portion of reinforcing sheetis achieved in this way. It should also be noted that the portion ofreinforcing sheet does not necessarily extend over the entire height ofthe container to be produced, but on the contrary may cover only acertain area, for example close to the upper end of the container.Obviously, in order for the reinforcing effect to be at a maximum, theportion of reinforcing sheet should cover the entire circumference ofthe container.

Hitherto, the portions of or loop in the reinforcing sheet 11 were cutalong a line perpendicular to the straight edges of the sheet. Thismanner of cutting the sheets formed into loops is particularlyadvantageous when the containers to be produced, and therefore themoulds, have straight cylindrical walls.

In the case of containers of frustoconical shape, it is known that thereinforcing sheet 11 may be made into a corresponding shape, but openedout to lie in one plane. In other words, each portion of the reinforcingsheet, which is intended to cover at least partially the lateral wall ofthe frustoconical container, is in the form of part of a ring, thelateral edges of which correspond to the periphery of the circle of thelarge base of the frustoconical container, and the periphery of thecircle of the small base of the container.

In an alternative embodiment of the apparatus, the different successiveportions of the reinforcing sheet or strip adhere at least by way of apart of their rearward edge to the front edge of the following portion,and the straight lines delimiting the front and rear edges of eachportion are parallel to each other, the straight line at the rearwardend of each portion coinciding with the line along which the portion ofsheet introduced into the cavity of the loop forming device is cut. Thiscut line can moreover coincide with a generating line of thefrustoconical container.

FIG. 9 shows a first embodiment of the reinforcing sheet or strip 1 1.In this figure, two reinforcing strips 11 are cut from a mainreinforcing sheet or strip 20, to form portions of annular shape. Here,the arrow F indicates the direction in which the sheet is introducedinto the cavity 16 of the loop forming device. The for ward end 11a ofeach portion of reinforcing sheet is parallel to the rearward end 11bwhich forms the cut line of each portion and which at the same time, cancoincide with a generating line of the frustoconical container.

In addition, the front end of each portion of reinforcing strip, onceset in position on the frustoconical container, is covered by therearward end of that portion over a zone delimited by the forwardstraight line 1 la, by a straight line 11c which coincides with thegenerating junction line when the portion of sheet is rolled into afrustoconical shape, and by a part of the circular are located betweenthe two straight lines 1 1a and 11c.

It should be noted that the different portions of the reinforcing sheet11 remain integral with each other by way of at least a part of theirfront and rearward straight lines 11a and 11b until they are cut by theloop forming device 10.

As regards the lateral edges 11d and lle of the reinforcing sheets ll,they are cut by a mechanism comprising a punch and a cutting die, fromthe main reinforcing sheet 20. This cutting mechanism is generallylocated upstream of the photoelectric cell 23.

It is of advantage for the different sheets 11 to be grouped as close toeach other as possible, while taking into account the differentcurvature of the lateral edges 11d and lle of each portion between twocorresponding portions of two adjacent reinforcing sheets to be cut fromthe main sheet 20, so as to obtain an intermediate, relatively narrowzone 11f, which enables wastage to be very low.

FIG. 10 shows diagrammatically a mode of introducing a reinforcing sheet11 into the corresponding cavity of the loop forming device 10, thesheet being as shown in FIG. 9. It is important that the rearward end11b of each portion of the reinforcing sheet, along which end the sheetwill be cut by means of the cutting blades 25 and 26, should be parallelto the direction of those blades and consequently to the generatinglines of the cylindrical cavity 16.

For this purpose the shaft of the return roller 55a which is located,considered in the direction of movement of the sheet 11, upstream of thefeed-in rollers l3, 14, is perpendicular to the imaginary straight line11g or llh which joins the ends of the same lateral edge of a portion ofreinforcing sheet 11, the rearward end 11b of each portion beingparallel to the cutting blades 25 and 26.

In addition, because the portion of reinforcing sheet introduced intothe cavity 16 is wound in a helical form, the height of the cavity 16 isequal to at least twice the height of the reinforcing strip 11, takenalong the straight line 11a.

FIG. 10 also shows that the mould 6a used has an inside frustoconicalwall on the surface in which open channels which communicate with acollecting chamber 81 which is itself connected by way of a conduit 82to a vacuum pump.

The other elements shown in this figure are identical to those of theabove described embodiments and are provided for this reason with thesame reference numerals.

FIG. 11 shows another pattern for punch and die cutting the differentreinforcing sheets 11 from a main reinforcing sheet 20.

The reinforcing sheet 11 as shown in FIG. 11 does not require returnrollers set at an angle relative to the cutting edge of the blades 25and 26.

It should be noted that in the present case, the straight lines llbalong which the reinforcing sheet 11 will be cut into successiveportions, are perpendicular to the direction of movement F, of thereinforcing sheet 11.

In addition, the width of the zone in which the two portions ofreinforcing sheet are attached to each other during movement of thereinforcing sheet 11, is at least equal to one quarter of the width ofthe cut portion of sheet.

FIG. 12 shows yet another pattern for punch and die cutting of thedifferent reinforcing sheets 11 from a main reinforcing sheet 20. Inthis case too, the straight lines llb along which the reinforcing sheet11 will be cut into successive portions, are perpendicular to thedirection of movement F of the reinforcing sheet 11. This cuttingpattern is particularly advantageous by reason of the small offcuts onthe one hand, and because the two successive portions of reinforcingsheet are attached to each other during transportation over the entirewidth of the reinforcing sheet 11.

Obviously, the different reinforcing sheets can be cut out using otherpatterns.

However, the important fact as regards the present invention lies in thefact that the portions of reinforcing sheets remain attached to eachother by way of their front and rear edges until they are completelyintroduced into the cavity of the loop forming device 10.

l CLAIM:

1. Apparatus for producing containers with complex walls, comprising ona frame,

a. a cylindrical support for a roll of thermoplastic sheet,

b. means for transporting said sheet below a heating station, then intoa shaping station comprising on one side of the thermoplastic sheet atleast one series of female moulds which are movable perpendicularly tothe plane of the thermoplastic sheet and which extend over the entirewidth of said sheet, and on the other side,

c. a series of pre-shaping punches of which the number corresponds tothe number of moulds,

d. a series of mould clamps intended to apply said thermoplastic sheetagainst the upper end of the moulds, and

e. a source of pressure fluid for the definitive shaping of thecontainers,

f. characterized in that associated with each female mould is g. adevice for forming a loop in the reinforcing sheet, and

h. a member for placing said loop in the corresponding mould,

i. and that said mould is disposed on a carrier so as to be capable ofcoming into alignment with the loop forming device, and

j. that means are provided to control, stepwise and sequentially,

k. the formation ofa loop in the reinforcing sheet,

I. the alignment of the mould and the forming device,

m. the introduction of the loop into the mould,

n. the resetting of the mould into the shaping position, and

o. the shaping ofa container with complex walls.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a. the loopforming device comprises a series of return rollers which guide thereinforcing sheet towards a pair of feed-in and b. drive rollersprovided on each side of a slot which gives access to a cavity of theloop forming device.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that a. the loopforming device is arranged in the apparatus at a location below theplane of movement of the thermoplastic sheet and close to the shapingstation and b. the female moulds are articulated on a horizontal shaftwhich is rigidly fixed to the carrier for the moulds which are movablein a vertical direction,

0. the carrier being provided with a control means to pivot the mouldsfrom their vertical position into a horizontal position in which theyare in alignment with the corresponding cavities of the loop formingdevice.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that on one sideof the frame there is provided a. a cylindrical support for a roll ofmain reinforcing sheet,

b. a mechanism for cutting the main sheet into individual strips, and

c. a mechanism for the common, stepwise entrainment of the mainreinforcing sheet and the different reinforcing sheets cut into stripform.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a. a singlesetting photoelectric cell is located opposite a reinforcing sheet,

b. a return roller which is adjustable for position being interposed inthe path of movement of the reinforcing strips or sheets towards thecorresponding cavities of the loop forming device.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the loopforming device comprises means for cutting the portion of reinforcingsheet placed in the cavity.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the cuttingmeans comprise a. a fixed blade b. and a movable blade located on eachside of the slot leading to the cavity of the loop forming device, themovable blade being displaced rhythmically after each stepwise advanceof the reinforcing sheet.

8. An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that themechanism for cutting the main sheet into individual sheets or stripscomprises a support roller connected to the drive wheel and providedwith annular grooves of which a lateral vertical wall forms the bladecooperating member for a cutting blade provided on the externalperiphery of a hollow roller which is supported eccentrically by a shaftand applied against the support roller.

9. An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the supportroller for the main reinforcing sheet or strip, the stepwise entrainmentmechanism and the cutting mechanism are mounted beside the heating andshaping station parallel to the path of movement of the thermoplasticsheet.

10. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the devicefor forming loops in the individual reinforcing sheets is disposed belowthe path of movement of the thermoplastic sheet or the shapedcontainers, and close to the female moulds in their lower position, andclose to the shaping station.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the loopforming device comprises a. a horizontal transversal bar mounted on asupport plate which is integral with the frame of the apparatus, andprovided with a certain number of cavities of which each is connectedlaterally to the exterior by a slot formed in a cutting blade mounted ona support which is movable transversely to the plane in which thereinforcing sheet is fed into the cavity,

c. a fixed blade co-operating member being provided in each cavity inthe wall located at least partially in alignment with the slot.

12. An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that thediameter of the feed-in rollers is slightly greater than that of theroller for entraining the reinforcing sheets, the feed-in rollers aredriven individually by a friction system such as to permit thetensioning of each reinforcing sheet and the introduction of eachreinforcing sheet into the cavity, each time that the apparatus is setin operation.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the memberfor positioning the cut and loopshape rolled reinforcing sheet comprisesa plate of which the section is substantially identical to the sectionof the cavity, said plate being fixed to the end of a rod of which theother end is fixed by way of a strut to the rod of a second control jackfixed on a cross member.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the mouldsare grouped in two lines of moulds disposed such that, considered in thedirection of advance movement of the thermoplastic sheet, there arealways two moulds in alignment one behind the other, the pre-shapingpunches, the mould clamps, the cavities of the loop forming device andthe members for positioning the cut portion of reinforcing sheet beingdisposed similarly in two grouped lines.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the accessslots of the upper row of cavities are open upwardly and thecorresponding feed-in rollers are disposed above the upper row ofcavities, while the access slots of the lower row of cavities are opendownwardly and the corresponding feed-in rollers are arranged below saidlower row.

16. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that each femalemould is provided at certain locations with very fine suction channelswhich open on the one hand on to the inside lateral face of the mouldand on the other hand, into a chamber formed in the said wall of themould and capable of being connected to a vacuum pump.

17. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that theopenings of the suction channels are provided at locations on the insidewall of the mould at which that face affords changes in direction ormore or less accentuated angles.

18. An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that themechanism for cutting the main sheet into individual strips is of thepunch and die type and is arranged such that the cut strips comprisesuccessive portions which are integral with each other by way of atleast a part of their front and rear ends, the straight lines delimitingthe one and the other ends being parallel and the rearward straight linecoinciding with a generating line of the container after the portion ofreinforcing sheet has been secured to said container made in the mould.

19. An apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that the axis ofthe return roller locates upstream of the feed-in rollers of the loopforming device is inclined relative to the edges of the cutting bladesof said device, such that the rearward end of each portion ofreinforcing sheet is parallel to the cutting blades and that the axialheight of the cavities of the loop forming device is equal to at leasttwice the height or the width of the reinforcing sheet.

20. An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that themechanism for cutting the main sheet into individual reinforcing stripsis of the punch and die type and is arranged such that the cut stripscomprise successive portions which are integral with each other by wayof at least one part of their front and rear ends, the straight linesdelimiting the one and the other ends being parallel and perpendicularto the direction of movement of the individual reinforcing strips.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that therearward straight line coincides with a generating line of the containerafter the portion of reinforcing sheet has been secured to saidcontainer made in the mould.

22. An apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that therearward straight line forms an angle with a generating line of thecontainer after the portion of reinforcing sheet has been secured tosaid container made in the mould. I

23. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the insidewall of the female moulds is of a frustoconical shape of which the largebase is completely open.

24. In an apparatus for producing a container with composite walls froma sheet of thermoplastic material and a loop of reinforcing material,

a. a female mold,

b.. a loop forming device located outside of said mold,

c. means for temporarily aligning said mold axially with said loopforming device, and

(1. means for introducing a reinforcing loop formed in said loop formingdevice into said mold.

25. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said loop forming devicecomprises a cavity having a slot in a side wall thereof and means forfeeding a strip of reinforcing material through said slot and into saidcavity in a direction transverse to the axis thereof.

26. An apparatus according to claim 24 wherein a preshaping punchcooperates with said female mold and said plastic sheet for initiatingthe formation of a container.

27. In an apparatus for producing a container with composite walls froma sheet of thermoplastic material and a loop of reinforcing material, acombination comprising a female mould; a loop forming device associatedwith said female mould and provided with a cavity bounded by a side wallhaving a slot formed therein; means for temporarily aligning said mouldaxially with said loop forming device; means for feeding a strip ofreinforcing material through said slot and into said cavity in adirection transverse to the axis of the latter so as to form areinforcing loop therein; and means for introducing the thus formedreinforcing loop from said loop forming device into said female mould.

28. In an apparatus for producing a container with composite walls froma sheet of thermoplastic material and a loop of reinforcing material, acombination comprising a female mould; a loop forming device associatedwith said female mould; means for temporarily aligning said female mouldaxially with said loop forming device; means for introducing areinforcing loop formed in said loop forming device into said mould; anda pre-shaping punch cooperating with said female mould for acting upon aplastic sheet associated with said mould so as to initiate the formationof a container.

1. Apparatus for producing containers with complex walls, comprising ona frame, a. a cylindrical support for a roll of thermoplastic sheet, b.means for transporting said sheet below a heating station, then into ashaping station comprising on one side of the thermoplastic sheet atleast one series of female moulds which are movable perpendicularly tothe plane of the thermoplastic sheet and which extend over the entirewidth of said sheet, and on the other side, c. a series of pre-shapingpunches of which the number corresponds to the number of moulds, d. aseries of mould clamps intended to apply said thermoplastic sheetagainst the upper end of the moulds, and e. a source of pressure fluidfor the definitive shaping of the containers, f. characterized in thatassociated with each female mould is g. a device for forming a loop inthe reinforcing sheet, and h. a member for placing said loop in thecorresponding mould, i. and that said mould is disposed on a carrier soas to be capable of coming into alignment with the loop forming device,and j. that means are provided to control, stepwise and sequentially, k.the formation of a loop in the reinforcing sheet, l. the alignment ofthe mould and the forming device, m. the introduction of the loop intothe mould, n. the resetting of the mould into the shaping position, ando. the shaping of a container with complex walls.
 2. An apparatusaccording to claim 1, characterized in that a. the Loop forming devicecomprises a series of return rollers which guide the reinforcing sheettowards a pair of feed-in and b. drive rollers provided on each side ofa slot which gives access to a cavity of the loop forming device.
 3. Anapparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that a. the loopforming device is arranged in the apparatus at a location below theplane of movement of the thermoplastic sheet and close to the shapingstation and b. the female moulds are articulated on a horizontal shaftwhich is rigidly fixed to the carrier for the moulds which are movablein a vertical direction, c. the carrier being provided with a controlmeans to pivot the moulds from their vertical position into a horizontalposition in which they are in alignment with the corresponding cavitiesof the loop forming device.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 1,characterized in that on one side of the frame there is provided a. acylindrical support for a roll of main reinforcing sheet, b. a mechanismfor cutting the main sheet into individual strips, and c. a mechanismfor the common, stepwise entrainment of the main reinforcing sheet andthe different reinforcing sheets cut into strip form.
 5. An apparatusaccording to claim 1, characterized in that a. a single settingphotoelectric cell is located opposite a reinforcing sheet, b. a returnroller which is adjustable for position being interposed in the path ofmovement of the reinforcing strips or sheets towards the correspondingcavities of the loop forming device.
 6. An apparatus according to claim3, characterized in that the loop forming device comprises means forcutting the portion of reinforcing sheet placed in the cavity.
 7. Anapparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the cutting meanscomprise a. a fixed blade b. and a movable blade located on each side ofthe slot leading to the cavity of the loop forming device, the movableblade being displaced rhythmically after each stepwise advance of thereinforcing sheet.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 4, characterizedin that the mechanism for cutting the main sheet into individual sheetsor strips comprises a support roller connected to the drive wheel andprovided with annular grooves of which a lateral vertical wall forms theblade cooperating member for a cutting blade provided on the externalperiphery of a hollow roller which is supported eccentrically by a shaftand applied against the support roller.
 9. An apparatus according toclaim 4, characterized in that the support roller for the mainreinforcing sheet or strip, the stepwise entrainment mechanism and thecutting mechanism are mounted beside the heating and shaping stationparallel to the path of movement of the thermoplastic sheet.
 10. Anapparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the device forforming loops in the individual reinforcing sheets is disposed below thepath of movement of the thermoplastic sheet or the shaped containers,and close to the female moulds in their lower position, and close to theshaping station.
 11. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized inthat the loop forming device comprises a. a horizontal transversal barmounted on a support plate which is integral with the frame of theapparatus, and provided with b. a certain number of cavities of whicheach is connected laterally to the exterior by a slot formed in acutting blade mounted on a support which is movable transversely to theplane in which the reinforcing sheet is fed into the cavity, c. a fixedblade co-operating member being provided in each cavity in the walllocated at least partially in alignment with the slot.
 12. An apparatusaccording to claim 2, characterized in that the diameter of the feed-inrollers is slightly greater than that of the roller for entraining thereinforcing sheets, the feed-in rollers are driven individually by afriction system such as to permit the tensioning of each reinForcingsheet and the introduction of each reinforcing sheet into the cavity,each time that the apparatus is set in operation.
 13. An apparatusaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the member for positioningthe cut and loop-shape rolled reinforcing sheet comprises a plate ofwhich the section is substantially identical to the section of thecavity, said plate being fixed to the end of a rod of which the otherend is fixed by way of a strut to the rod of a second control jack fixedon a cross member.
 14. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterizedin that the moulds are grouped in two lines of moulds disposed suchthat, considered in the direction of advance movement of thethermoplastic sheet, there are always two moulds in alignment one behindthe other, the pre-shaping punches, the mould clamps, the cavities ofthe loop forming device and the members for positioning the cut portionof reinforcing sheet being disposed similarly in two grouped lines. 15.An apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the accessslots of the upper row of cavities are open upwardly and thecorresponding feed-in rollers are disposed above the upper row ofcavities, while the access slots of the lower row of cavities are opendownwardly and the corresponding feed-in rollers are arranged below saidlower row.
 16. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in thateach female mould is provided at certain locations with very finesuction channels which open on the one hand on to the inside lateralface of the mould and on the other hand, into a chamber formed in thesaid wall of the mould and capable of being connected to a vacuum pump.17. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that theopenings of the suction channels are provided at locations on the insidewall of the mould at which that face affords changes in direction ormore or less accentuated angles.
 18. An apparatus according to claim 4,characterized in that the mechanism for cutting the main sheet intoindividual strips is of the punch and die type and is arranged such thatthe cut strips comprise successive portions which are integral with eachother by way of at least a part of their front and rear ends, thestraight lines delimiting the one and the other ends being parallel andthe rearward straight line coinciding with a generating line of thecontainer after the portion of reinforcing sheet has been secured tosaid container made in the mould.
 19. An apparatus according to claim 1,characterized in that the axis of the return roller locates upstream ofthe feed-in rollers of the loop forming device is inclined relative tothe edges of the cutting blades of said device, such that the rearwardend of each portion of reinforcing sheet is parallel to the cuttingblades and that the axial height of the cavities of the loop formingdevice is equal to at least twice the height or the width of thereinforcing sheet.
 20. An apparatus according to claim 4, characterizedin that the mechanism for cutting the main sheet into individualreinforcing strips is of the punch and die type and is arranged suchthat the cut strips comprise successive portions which are integral witheach other by way of at least one part of their front and rear ends, thestraight lines delimiting the one and the other ends being parallel andperpendicular to the direction of movement of the individual reinforcingstrips.
 21. An apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in thatthe rearward straight line coincides with a generating line of thecontainer after the portion of reinforcing sheet has been secured tosaid container made in the mould.
 22. An apparatus according to claim20, characterized in that the rearward straight line forms an angle witha generating line of the container after the portion of reinforcingsheet has been secured to said container made in the mould.
 23. Anapparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the inside wall ofthe female moulds is of a frustocOnical shape of which the large base iscompletely open.
 24. In an apparatus for producing a container withcomposite walls from a sheet of thermoplastic material and a loop ofreinforcing material, a. a female mold, b. a loop forming device locatedoutside of said mold, c. means for temporarily aligning said moldaxially with said loop forming device, and d. means for introducing areinforcing loop formed in said loop forming device into said mold. 25.An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said loop forming devicecomprises a cavity having a slot in a side wall thereof and means forfeeding a strip of reinforcing material through said slot and into saidcavity in a direction transverse to the axis thereof.
 26. An apparatusaccording to claim 24 wherein a preshaping punch cooperates with saidfemale mold and said plastic sheet for initiating the formation of acontainer.
 27. In an apparatus for producing a container with compositewalls from a sheet of thermoplastic material and a loop of reinforcingmaterial, a combination comprising a female mould; a loop forming deviceassociated with said female mould and provided with a cavity bounded bya side wall having a slot formed therein; means for temporarily aligningsaid mould axially with said loop forming device; means for feeding astrip of reinforcing material through said slot and into said cavity ina direction transverse to the axis of the latter so as to form areinforcing loop therein; and means for introducing the thus formedreinforcing loop from said loop forming device into said female mould.28. In an apparatus for producing a container with composite walls froma sheet of thermoplastic material and a loop of reinforcing material, acombination comprising a female mould; a loop forming device associatedwith said female mould; means for temporarily aligning said female mouldaxially with said loop forming device; means for introducing areinforcing loop formed in said loop forming device into said mould; anda pre-shaping punch cooperating with said female mould for acting upon aplastic sheet associated with said mould so as to initiate the formationof a container.